Date of Graduation

12-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Electrical Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Yue Zhao

Committee Member

Juan Carlos Balda

Second Committee Member

Robert Saunders

Keywords

inverter, power electronics, silicon carbide, traction

Abstract

This project was initiated with the goal of demonstrating a 3-phase silicon carbide based 150-kW 25 kW/L DC-AC power conversion unit capable of operation with coolant temperatures up to 90°C. The project goals were met and exceeded by first analyzing the established inverter topologies to find which one would yield the highest power density while still meeting electrical performance needs in the 150-kW range. Following topology selection, the smallest silicon carbide power module that met the electrical requirements of the system was found through experimental testing and simulation. After a power module selection was finalized, a DC link capacitor bank was designed by calculating the electrical requirements of the system and choosing the capacitor available that added the least volume to the overall system while still meeting the system’s electrical requirements. PCB-based bussing was designed around the power modules and capacitors in SolidWorks and then electrically optimized through simulations in Ansys. A custom DSP-based controller built around the Texas Instruments 28379D control card was designed and created for the control basis of the power converter. The complete system was constructed and tested at low power with great success, demonstrating the ability to operate at the desired full power of 150 kW, while achieving an overall volume of 1.35 L.

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